P1606 VVEL issue/code

mendoza_ms

February 4, 2018
It f**king happened again...

This time I had just recently did an engine flush and oil change. Along with a fresh change of 5W-30, I added some Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer and Slick50 Engine Restorer (my z just hit 100k).

I took it out for a spin after the oil change and went to get gas at the Costco nearby. Everything was smooth until the first stoplight on the way back home. I suddenly lost throttle response and get the CEL. Its a good thing I was on surface streets this time!

Code reader gave me a P1606, P0300 and a U1024 (wtf?). Rough Idle.

After some troubleshooting I stopped getting the other codes and stayed with the P1606. I recalled that tugging on the driver's-side Camshaft Position Sensor plug had some beneficial effect so i tried that. Nothing...

So I unplugged the sensor while the car was idling...nothing...

Finally, I unplugged the passenger's side Cam sensor as well and the car DIED, so I guess it was a bad sensor? To verify this I pulled out both Cam sensors - which were really hot - and saw that they were caked in oil (not burned though). I sprayed both down with degreaser and popped them back in. Still idling rough, still getting P1606. I had to think about it hard.

February 5, 2018
Today I went home to try and swap the Cam sensors to see if I could learn anything new, but I didn't need to - the Z started right up and sounded STRONG. "I know what this is!" I said. It's a faulty Cam sensor that has accumulated some heat damage over several years of harsh driving conditions. I let it run for a few minutes and throttled it like I usually do and didn't have any problems. That one sensor must get hot over some time and start to fail intermittently.

I ordered replacement sensors online and will replace both of those before I actually try to commute with it again - call me paranoid. I'll keep you guys posted!